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Jul 21, 2017 at 7:33 AMJul 21, 2017 at 7:57 AM

NORTHEAST LEBANON

Clashes erupt between Hezbollah and militants

BEIRUT — Heavy clashes erupted late Thursday between the pro-Iranian Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement and militants on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal, a Lebanese security source said.

A source close to the movement said Hezbollah managed to take control of three observation points for al-Qaida Syria affiliate Fatah al-Sham, previously known as the Nusra front, in Wadi al Ouwani at the outskirts of Arsal.

Syrian regime planes were also conducting heavy raids on the area of the clashes where the militants are entrenched, the source said.

Earlier, Hezbollah heavily shelled the area.

“Shells are raining down on militant posts who belong to the al-Qaeda- linked Fatah al-Sham, previously known as al Nusra Front, and others who belong to the Islamic State,” the source said.

The shelling is concentrated on the outskirts of Flita, an area in Syria but close to the Lebanese-Syrian border and Wadi al-Kheil on Arsal’s outskirts, where the Fatah al-Sham Front has positions.

Activists in the area meanwhile said Syrian warplanes also carried out a round of raids on the militants’ posts in the border region.

Hezbollah has been fighting alongside the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since the uprising started in 2011.